


Trust

by Coheed275



Category: Guild Wars
Genre: Asura - Freeform, F/F, Guild Wars 2 - Freeform, NSFW, gw2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-23 05:47:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6106904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coheed275/pseuds/Coheed275
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taimi reveals to Zojja a traumatizing event from her recent past. As Zojja helps her through the pain of the memory, Taimi starts to realize something. Of all the people in Tyria, there's only one that she trusts and cares about with all her heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For random GW2 posts and updates on my fics, you can find me at http://coheed275.tumblr.com/ and http://coheed275nsfw.tumblr.com/

                Zojja spent her afternoon alone, working on a personal project. She wanted to create a new standard for power cores, ones that ran much longer on much less energy. Only the natural hum of her lab pervaded the silence, no one disturbed her current work. No sound of fingers on keys came, for Zojja manipulated her hands across a holographic screen. A recent invention, which she took great pleasure in baffling the Arcane Council with several months ago.

                Though she enjoyed her time with Destiny’s Edge, and marveled at all the things such a small group accomplished for Tyria, she enjoyed returning home equally, if not more. One of their adventures half a decade ago hadn’t gone as well for her; she spent most of it imprisoned by Mordrem. Here, in the comfort of her own lab, within the familiar portion of the Maguuma, she could research, invent, astound her kind with her genius. She could think of no better way to pass the time between moments where all of Tyria hung in the balance.

                She worked without pause through the day, tossing ideas around, running simulations, returning to hypotheses. She found herself getting stuck, time and time again. This invention of hers would not come to fruition soon.

                In truth, it wasn’t just her invention. Often times she ignored help from her krewe and made feats of intellect completely alone, therefore taking all the credit. Not many stayed on her krewe for this very reason, but she didn’t need many. Though for several years, she’d taken on a new apprentice, one she took heavy interest in, an intelligence that rivalled hers. Not that she’d ever admit it out loud.

                “Hello, hello, hello!” Just as thoughts of that apprentice drifted to her, Zojja heard her call out from the entrance to her lab. Her apprentice stood a staggering eight feet tall. Her strength could crush boulders with ease, and many a foe fell to her hands. When her apprentice didn’t occupy her custom-made golem, she stood at an older progeny’s height, just over half that of Zojja, though she was now close to the age most graduated college. Without her golem, her strength was little. With the degenerative disease in her legs, she’d never grow above the height she stood now. She hobbled when she walked, and could only do so for a short distance without tiring. As she aged, her disease spread more, taking over more of her body and making her weaker. To Zojja’s apprentice, however, none of this mattered. She passed basic calculus before turning four years old. Advanced calculus after her fourth birthday. College level studies by age eight, beyond that before even getting accepted to Synergetics, at which point she set the record for the youngest asura to graduate. All Zojja’s apprentice cared about was her mind. It was better than anyone else’s.

                Zojja continued her work without responding, and after several minutes, her apprentice appeared in the room, panting for breath after walking from the lab’s entrance. “Whatcha up to, Zojja?” she asked. Now 20 years old, Taimi worked full time for Zojja. Any time not spent out with Braham and the gang was spent here, just like Zojja with Destiny’s Edge.

                “Hey Taimi,” she replied, shutting off her holographic projections. “Where’s your golem?”

                “Told him to take a break,” Taimi told her. “I can walk a few hundred feet, Zojja, come on.”

                Zojja often forced herself to resist helping Taimi with any form of physical labor, unless she wanted to face the storm of arguments. If Taimi couldn’t do something herself, she’d get her golem, now Scruffy 4.0, or she’d forget about doing it. She wanted as little help as possible. In that, Zojja saw some of her younger self. When Snaff still lived, she never wanted to admit to him when she couldn’t do something.

                Taimi made her way across the room, using a set of small stairs to climb up onto Zojja’s work table and sit down. She liked sitting eye level with her mentor, instead of looking up all the time. “Let me guess, you spent all day working on this without so much as a lunch.”

                “Pretty much,” she admitted.

                “That’s your problem, you gotta mix it up!” Taimi exclaimed. “I have like, fifty projects that I’m working on. I just swap back and forth between them whenever I get stuck.”

                “Are you telling your mentor what to do?” Zojja snapped.

                “Oh, no, never would I try to undermine your authority, oh great and powerful Zojja.”

                Taimi rolled her eyes, and Zojja giggled. She held little patience for anyone who tried to confront her, except for Taimi. When Zojja first took her as an apprentice, she was strict, demanding. Taimi fought fire with fire, and quickly showed Zojja her capabilities, and that very little instruction was necessary. All Zojja needed to do was control Taimi’s immaturity; when it came to intellect, her apprentice required little guidance.  

                “So what did you do today? Make any new friends?” Zojja switched off the last of her holographic displays and started putting her other tools away. She wasn’t going to figure anything else out today, and Taimi already took the entire day off.

                “No, just wandered around,” Taimi said. “It’s so hard. Everyone my age is still in college, and nobody older wants to hang out with me. Wish I could convince Braham to move here, but I don’t think he could handle me every day for the rest of his life.”

                “Good thinking on his part,” Zojja quipped, and Taimi glared at her, but a faint smile hid in her lips.

                “I’m serious though, I’m really lucky I like you, because you’re about the only living being in Rata Sum I hang out with.”

                “Really? I thought tons of asura would want your intellectual talent.”

                “I think they don’t want me to tell them they’re a bunch of bookahs.”

                Zojja laughed, but noticed an honest frown on Taimi’s face. Not one of her fake, sarcastic frowns, or one of her angry pouts. She genuinely felt sad, and it pained Zojja to see her so.

                “Well hey, like you said, you got me,” Zojja told her. “I don’t have much in the way of friends either. No relationship at the moment… Hey, I bet that would cheer you up. Finding you a boyfriend?”

                Taimi’s eyes widened. Her head snapped towards Zojja, and she saw fear behind them. Her body trembled. “No,” she said softly. “No. Never. Don’t. Get me. A boyfriend.”

                This attack puzzled Zojja. Why the hostility? “Come on, there’s someone out there for everyone. Are you a virgin, is that why you’re scared? There’s gotta be someone who’s cute and smart enough to not bore you to death-“

                “I said no!” she yelled.

                Zojja stepped back, and fell silent. She’d seen Taimi angry plenty of times over the years she knew her. Anger came naturally to the little asura. This anger, though, this was more than her usual sass. When she realized what she’d done, Taimi turned on the table, facing away from Zojja.

                “Taimi…”

                “I’m not…” Taimi’s words were quiet, and slow to come forth. “I’m not a virgin, that’s not why I…” She fell silent, and her trembling returned.

                Zojja reached out and placed a hand on Taimi’s shoulder, but she jerked away. “Taimi, what happened?” she asked.

                “I…” For a long while longer, Taimi didn’t speak. “It… was about six months ago,” she said. “I had a boyfriend… one year younger than me, a guy studying at Dynamics, really cute. I didn’t tell you because I thought you’d tell me to focus more on work. We dated for a month before we decided to have sex.”

                Taimi paused, and Zojja heard the shallowness in her breath. She made no effort to push Taimi along with her story. She’d wait however long Taimi needed.

                “It started out fine, but… I guess he never realized just how weak my body is until we were in bed together… he… he started to… I told him to stop… he held me down…”

                Tears came to Zojja’s eyes as well as Taimi’s. She couldn’t bear the thought of such a horrendous act. They met before Taimi even turned 14. She’d grown attached to her, and cared for her more than anyone else in her life, including Destiny’s Edge. She wanted to invent stable time travel, warp through the mists, undo this wrong. Yet she could only stand behind Taimi, tears streaming down both their faces. Sadness started mixing with rage. Anger boiled within, a desperate desire to do something, _anything_. Elemental fire sparked at her fingertips.

                “Give me a name and I’ll make him regret it,” Zojja growled, her fury rising.

                “No need, he already does,” Taimi replied. “I wanted privacy so I sent Scruffy away, but I’m not stupid.” She pulled up a sleeve to reveal a small strap with a button attached to her wrist. “An emergency signal. When I realized that he was… I pushed it, and ten seconds later Scruffy broke down the door. The guy woke up the next morning with a broken arm, two broken ribs, three broken toes, and a concussion.”

                Zojja’s thoughts drifted to the part she really wanted to break on the culprit, but her rash anger died down. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” she asked.

                “You worry about me enough,” Taimi replied. “I didn’t want you to think I couldn’t handle myself.” Her sobs grew louder, and she brought her knees up to her chest, curling into a ball.

                “Taimi, you can’t-“ Zojja stopped herself, and let out a sigh. She moved to where she stood in front of Taimi. “Look at me.”

                Taimi looked up, her nose red, streaks of tears on her face. “How am I supposed to be with someone, if I can’t trust them?” She sniffed, and her tears continued to fall.

                “I’m so sorry,” Zojja said. “I wish I could make this all go away, but I can’t. There are evil people out there like him. But not everyone, not even a large percentage, are sick and twisted like the asura who did this to you.”

                “But how can I know?” Taimi challenged. “If you’re with someone and they start… you can just call up a spell and blast them away. If I’d left this emergency signal in the lab, if I’d have taken it off when we got naked, he would’ve… he…” her sobs grew louder, and she buried her face into her knees.

                Zojja approached the table and wrapped Taimi in her arms. Taimi grabbed back, gripping hard, letting everything that she’d hidden for so long out into the open. Zojja let her own tears fall, and held on to Taimi as if her life depended on it.

                Neither moved for a long while. Taimi cried and cried, and Zojja stood still, trying to absorb the pain, take it away from her beloved apprentice. Eventually, the tears subsided, and the room fell quiet. The two still held the embrace, both wanting to just stay there.

                “What’s wrong with me?” Taimi’s voice was muffled as she spoke into the cloth of Zojja’s robe.

                Zojja released her embrace, pushing Taimi back so she could look into her eyes. “Nothing,” she stated, her tone firm. “You’re a genius like Rata Sum has never seen. Not even in me,” In this moment, she let go of her pride, not caring if Taimi knew how she really felt. “And eventually, maybe not even in Snaff.”

                Taimi sniffed, wiping her nose, then slowly nodded. “I just… I don’t know how to move on… he was my first…”

                “You don’t need to move on until you’re ready,” Zojja said. “But don’t let this sick bastard ruin the rest of your life. The next time you decide you care about someone enough to be intimate, you need to be sure. You need to trust them, love them with all your heart. When you find someone like that, you won’t need to remember your emergency signal.”

                “If only it were that simple,” Taimi scoffed, some of her usual humor returning. “The only person I trust that much is…” She fell silent.

                “Who?” Zojja prodded.

                Taimi moved her lips as if a name came to mind, then stopped. “No one,” she said. “I don’t… know anyone like that.

                “Well, you will, some day,” Zojja told her. She reached Taimi’s hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. “You will.”

                Zojja spent the rest of the night comforting Taimi, going through the event with her, helping her cope with what happened rather than suppress the memory. Taimi spoke little that night, lost in her own thoughts. Her mind kept returning to the name that almost left her lips. The name of the only one she trusted in the way Zojja described.

                The name of her mentor.


	2. Chapter 2

              Several days passed, and still the held back thought persisted in Taimi’s mind. Zojja’s description of who she should be with matched Zojja, and no one else she knew.

              That didn’t mean Taimi needed to start a relationship. She didn’t know a lot of people. With time, she could build up a trust like that with someone else, someone cute, someone she liked. Besides, dating a girl never crossed her mind until now.

              Yet if the solution was so simple, if all the reasons stacked against such a notion, why was she still thinking about it?

              Taimi tried her best to hide any hint. She avoided Zojja as much as possible after their talk. When she met up with her, she avoided eye contact. Taimi loved Zojja, of course she loved her, she was an unbelievable mentor and an even better friend. Physical attraction never played a part before. Now, her smile made her blush, her eyes looked like gems, her voice warmed her heart.

              Zojja only pushed this newfound attraction by talking her through the trauma of her first time. Taimi was learning to move past it. She felt happier with each passing day, and in turn, her attraction to Zojja festered and grew. She imagined them together, hand in hand while they dominated all asuran research, leading a technological revolution. Then she’d quickly shake out of her daydream whenever her mentor came in the room.

              The solution was so simple, all the reasons stacked against such a notion, but Taimi found herself wanting Zojja.

              _How do you tell someone who’s known you since you were a progeny that you like them?_ Taimi thought to herself. Zojja met her almost a decade ago, when she was still a good way away from the typical college graduate age. After a week, the question of how to approach Zojja still plagued her mind. Would she be alright with their relationship going that far? Does she even like girls? Doubt after doubt kept her from saying anything, kept her in fits of nervousness, and soon, her façade started to slip. Zojja caught on.

              Though for a while Zojja noticed nothing different, she and Taimi spent far too much time together for strange changes to go unseen. One evening in the lab, long after the rest of the krewe left for home, Zojja and Taimi continued working, purely out of enjoyment in doing so. Zojja brought up her thoughts.

              “Why have you been acting so nervous lately?”

              Taimi bit her lip, trying to hold in any strong reaction to Zojja’s question. “What do you mean?” she asked.

              “Well, for example, that’s the third time tonight you’ve re-stabilized the hexon fluid. It’s not unstable.”

              Taimi set down her tool. She was too close to Zojja to avoid this forever. At some point, she’d figure it out herself. Her voice trembled a bit as she replied. “I’ve been thinking about who I trust to the point you said… when you were talking about finding someone to be with.”

              “Oh?” She turned away from her monitor to give Taimi her full attention. “Think you have a guy in mind?”

              “No, a girl,” Taimi said, taking care to stay vague.            

              “Oh, sorry, assumption based on probability,” Zojja said. “If there’s someone you trust and also like, you’ve found your match. Are you going to tell her?”

              “I think so,” Taimi replied. “But my assumption based on probability? She won’t want it.”

              “Come on, that’s not the Taimi I know,” Zojja encouraged. “You’re aggressive, you don’t let anyone get in your way. Worst she can do is say no, right?”

              “Worst she can do is kick me off her krewe.”

              “Kick you off her-“

              It was too late for Taimi to take the words back, they were out and in other ears. She’d meant to ease Zojja into the idea more, present more hints, then drop this bomb on her mentor. She stared down at her feet, not wanting to see whatever look rested on Zojja’s face.

              “But Taimi, you’re- we’re-“

              “I know, I’m small, you don’t think of me that way, the Arcane council will have a fit if mentors start dating apprentices because people _totally_ never do that-“

              “Taimi.” Zojja tried to interrupt, but Taimi started pacing, arms folded, presenting more and more reasons on why Zojja would say no.

              “It was a stupid thought, it could ruin what we already have, it’s unprofessional-“

              “Taimi.”             

              The second time, Taimi stopped, and looked up at Zojja. She felt a mix of relief and surprise when she saw no shock on Zojja’s face. She appeared calm, though troubled.

              “I haven’t said no,” Zojja said. “But…” But what? Her mind tried to panic while her face held it in. If she stood here and said nothing for too long, her own façade would be revealed. But what façade? Was she considering saying yes? “Can you give me a little while to think this over? It’s not every day I get asked out by an apprentice I’ve known for eight years.”

              Taimi blinked. She’d convinced herself that Zojja’s response would mirror all her apprehension. Even the possibility of a yes left her dumbstruck. “Oh… ok,” she said softly.

              “Why don’t you take tomorrow off?” Zojja suggested. “Take a day in Rata Sum, do whatever you want. Let me sort out an appropriate answer for you. You deserve a more thought out response than what I’m ready to give.”

              “Um… ok,” Taimi said, her heart pounding hard in her chest. That sounded a lot more like a no. She stood in silence for a few moments, considering whether to re-stabilize the hexon fluid. “I think I’m gonna go to bed. I don’t see tonight getting any less awkward.” Taimi hobbled out of the room, keeping her back to Zojja to hide her crimson cheeks.

              In agreement with Taimi’s statement, Zojja let out a sigh of relief. She sat down in a nearby chair, shut off her computer, and soaked in the late evening silence. So that was what had been different ever since they first talked about that college student. Taimi liked her. The more she thought about it, the more it came as a shock. Taimi? The little girl who was fascinated with Scarlett? No, not a little girl anymore. An adult, one personally involved in the destruction of more than one elder dragon. She needed to get rid of that thought and look at this factually.

              Apprentices developing affection for the mentors wasn’t uncommon. Zojja couldn’t honestly say she felt no physical attraction to Snaff when she worked with him. Even so, such an act tended to bring a negative connotation to a mentor’s name if word got around. It wasn’t forbidden, but heavily frowned upon.

              Zojja realized she was avoiding the main point. Regardless of what other people thought, did she want a relationship with Taimi? She loved Taimi with all her heart, loved all their time together over the years- did she want more? Zojja advised Taimi to enter a relationship hypocritically, for she hadn’t dated anyone in several years. She’d fooled around with some girls in college, and wasn’t opposed to the thought, but never held a serious connection with another female.

              Yet again, she was generalizing her concern, and avoiding the real question. Zojja buried her face in her hands and inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly. She needed to make some hot tea, push all this out of her head, and get some sleep. She’d be up all night otherwise.

              A long day of thought was ahead of her.


	3. Chapter 3

              Minutes felt like hours as Taimi spent the day outside the krewe lab. She visited the various shops and vendors, laughed at a few experiment demonstrations, ate whenever she felt hungry. She even went through the gate to Lion’s Arch, spending the evening there.

              The whole point of this was to keep her mind off Zojja, which didn’t happen. She knew telling Zojja the truth was the right thing to do, but at the same time, she just shattered Zojja’s idea of their relationship that existed since she was 13. She couldn’t imagine how Zojja must be taking this.

              She took Scruffy out to one of the beaches of Lion’s Arch, shut him down, and just sat in the sand, watching the slow, rhythmic rush of the waves brushing against the shore. A few at the beach recognized her and stopped to shake her hand, thanking her for all she’d done to protect Tyria.

              Tyria was the last thing on her mind right now. Honestly, she wouldn’t care that much if Zojja said no, and they pretended that this never happened. She feared losing Zojja entirely. Zojja might see this as something too awkward to push past, or a developing unprofessional relationship that she didn’t want to cause. Taimi couldn’t imagine being sent away from Zojja’s lab. The thought tore at the back of her mind, despite her doubts in such a thing happening.

              The sunset cast a blend of colors into the sky, and the shades of red and yellow seemed to accent the grand city even more, enhancing the beauty of the network of buildings and the towering statues. Taimi sighed and woke Scruffy up. By the time she walked back through the city and Rata Sum, the sun would be long gone. Time to head back and face it.

 

**

 

              Outside of re-stabilizing the hexon fluid a few times, Zojja accomplished nothing while Taimi was out for the day. She spent all day lost in thought, trying to decide what to say, or rather what to feel.

              Taimi took longer than expected to return, and Zojja paced around her lab endlessly. Where was she? Any longer and her feet would start to leave imprints on the floor. Her fingers tapped repeatedly along the side of her pants. Her eyes stared at the ground in front of her as she walked through every inch of her lab and back again, and again, and again.

              She heard the clinks and beeps of the main door opening, and Zojja froze. The metal stomp of Scruffy’s feet echoed in her ears. She forced her breath to return to a normal rate, and waited. The low hum of Scruffy shutting down emitted from a nearby room, and the lab became deathly quiet. Quiet enough for Zojja to hear the tiny footsteps of a tiny asura entering the room.

              Taimi found Zojja standing completely still, and looked up at her, hiding the shake of her hands. “Hey,” she muttered.

              “Hey,” Zojja replied. “Let’s find a place to sit down.”

              They moved to the private lab room that they shared. Zojja found herself a chair, and Taimi climbed up onto a table next to her, letting her short legs swing freely in the air. Zojja saw the fear behind Taimi’s eyes, and took a deep breath. Her own nerves were just as high.

              “Alright, Taimi, I took a look at this from a couple standpoints,” Zojja began, trying to pace her speech. “One, the general shunning of mentors and apprentices starting relationships. Staying honest, I can’t fault you for that. As much as I wanted to punch him in the face sometimes, I loved Snaff. He meant a lot to me, and this is no different.”

              Taimi looked everywhere but Zojja, but her ears took in every word she said. She found a few interesting things on the wall to stare at, and remained silent.

              “So, next to analyze, was me. I haven’t done a lot of dating over the years. Bits and pieces here and there, but nothing that ever worked out. My initial fear was that relationships just weren’t a thing for me, in which case I’d want to say no. I wouldn’t want to start something new just to end up hurting you more.”

              Taimi bit her lip and looked down, watching the casual swing of her feet.

              “But that’s not good enough asuran analysis, so I asked myself: why haven’t things worked out? Biggest trend I noticed, none of them understood me. Most asura like science, it’s what we do. None of the ones I dated loved it though. Craved it. Needed to know more, needed to excel, needed to be the best. That’s who I am.”

              Taimi nodded in silent reply. She continued to look down at her feet, and their carefree swinging stopped.

              “So I thought about it more. Who do I know that understands me?” She grabbed her hand to stop it from shaking, then both hands trembled instead. She took a breath. “If I’m going to be in a relationship, I need someone who will follow me on that drive, who doesn’t just think up one new invention for the world and stop there. And… just like when I asked you to think about someone you trust… I only came up with one answer.”

              Taimi’s eyes had closed, but she startled at the feeling of something on her leg. It was Zojja’s hand. She gasped. For once, she couldn’t piece together a puzzle immediately. When she thought she knew the answer, she stared wide eyed at Zojja. Slowly, her mentor managed a smile through her blushing cheeks.

              “No.”

              “Yes.”

              “Shut the front door.”

              “You shut it when you came in.”

              “You mean it?”

              “Yes is my answer.”

              Taimi pushed off of the table, and soared into Zojja’s lap. Zojja reeled back, then found a pair of arms wrapped tenderly around her neck, a head with quite a lot of hair nuzzled against her cheek. She relaxed, and returned the embrace. In the end, despite needing to keep it a secret for a while, despite her doubts, Zojja realized that she wanted this. Taimi was grown up now, old enough to live on her own, and definitely smart enough to not be her apprentice, but Zojja had kept her around. She loved Taimi, and Taimi understood her. They shared their drive, their passion, their need for research and discovery. Taking this next step was something Zojja didn’t know she wanted until Taimi brought it up.

              “Oh my gosh, Zojja, we’re girlfriends!” Taimi exclaimed, excitedly hopping down onto the floor. “We’re gonna go on dates, hold hands, have romantic dinners, ooh! And cuddling, we gotta do some cuddling!”

              Zojja laughed at Taimi’s list, her nerves draining from her body. “Alright Taimi, switching from girlfriend to mentor, you may want to tone it down a bit. Your new girlfriend might think you’re a little clingy.”

              “Oh. Right. My bad.” Taimi blushed, then looked up at Zojja again. Zojja couldn’t help but smile at her cute little face. Taimi smiled back.  

              “It’s pretty late. Why don’t I take you to your room, and we can try a bit of that hand holding on the way?”

              “That sounds great,” Taimi replied. Zojja stood up, and Taimi reached out for her hand. When they connected, Taimi felt a wave of warmth flow through her body.

              “So… how to you feel?” Taimi asked as they walked.

              “Well, I just accepted a relationship with someone who was still playing with toys when I met her years ago. It’s a bit surprising to say the least.”

              Taimi scoffed. “I was _not_ playing with-“

              “You were a progeny and you were playing with toys. Granted, when you put them down you picked up a math equation about fifteen years ahead of your age.”

              “You’re freakin right I did.”

              “So you did play with toys?”

              “I- hey!”

              Zojja burst out laughing, and she squeezed Taimi’s hand. Her anger melted away in an instant. She squeezed back, and checked off hand holding in her mental list.


	4. Chapter 4

              Several weeks passed, and no one on Zojja’s krewe could figure out why her usual short temper with mistakes just disappeared. She greeted everyone with a smile, and many shot a joke or two at her about it. To their surprise, they weren’t greeted with fiery eyes in return. Zojja joked right back.

              Taimi seemed in a better mood too, though she always came to the lab excited to work. To the rest of the krewe, the only thing that seemed to change was the general mood. Behind that, Zojja and Taimi exchanged knowing grins. While they worked, they’d blush and turn away if their eyes met. In the evening when the rest of the krewe left the lab, they’d hold hands again, eat together, or explore Rata Sum. So far, neither regretted the decision they’d made. Their little secret brought them even closer together than before.

              Though Taimi was an adult, Zojja knew she was still young. She made no pushes in the relationship, letting Taimi decide when to take a new step. Taimi was first to lean in for a kiss, but her body trembled with such nervousness that Zojja fell into a fit of laughter. Taimi started to fume with rage, until Zojja cut off her words with a pair of lips. Taimi tried to hold on to her anger, but the more she relaxed into the kiss, the less she could remember on why she even got mad in the first place. Now, kissing came easily and often.

              Better still, Taimi felt truly healed from the incident that haunted her for so long, entirely thanks to Zojja. As she tended to be, Zojja was right. Taimi made it worse by not talking about it. Zojja’s love soothed her, made her happier than ever. This happiness, this feeling of peace when wrapped up in Zojja’s embrace, led her to asking a question one night. She sat in Zojja’s lap, a peaceful silence surrounding them, and she took what seemed like ages to gather up enough courage to ask. Finally, she spoke.

              “Could I… sleep in your bed tonight?”

              Zojja looked down at her. “Where would I sleep then?”

              Taimi rolled her eyes. “Really?” she grumbled.

              Zojja giggled, then her face turned serious. She would not take this question lightly. “Are you sure?”

              For so long, she’d have said no. Now, she nodded. “I’m sure.”

              Zojja lifted Taimi, holding her against her chest as she stood up. Taimi preferred this over Scruffy coming to collect her for bed. Scruffy didn’t seem to mind. That night, instead of turning towards Taimi’s living quarters, Zojja turned toward her own, pushing her body weight into her door button to let them inside.

              She set Taimi down on the bed, then removed her clothes without ceremony. She unbuckled the power device on her arm, kicked off her shoes, and slipped off the asuran robes covering her torso. With the removal of her underwear, she stood naked in front of the bed.

              “Wow,” Taimi muttered under her breath. She looked at Zojja nude for the first time. More than that, she looked at another girl nude for the first time. Zojja’s muscles were still strong from working in her lab and travelling with Destiny’s Edge. Her skin was smooth, unblemished, save a few small scars from various battles. Her round, pink nipples dragged Taimi’s eyes to them, and so did the small, pink folds in between her legs.

              Taimi’s hands trembled as she sat up and reached for her shoes, but she wasn’t giving up on this. She pulled off her pants and top, tossing them away, then undid the bow that held all her hair up, letting it fall naturally onto her shoulders. In spite of her desire, she blushed, feeling so exposed. “What’s the damage?” she asked.

              Zojja climbed on to the bed and knelt down beside Taimi.  “None,” she said, telling the truth. She looked across Taimi’s body, her own heat warming at the sight. Her body was small, but so were all asura. Perhaps tall asura were the ones in the wrong. “I’ve never seen you with your hair down.”

              “Is it bad?”

              “It’s cute,” she replied. “Think I might get some hair back myself.”

              “Aww, I like you bald,” Taimi whined.

              “Hmm,” Zojja said. “Maybe not then.”

              Taimi smiled, and the two moved to lay their heads down against the pillows. They both laid on their side, facing each other, still taking in the other’s form, committing every inch to memory. For a few moments, neither said anything, nor made a move.

              “I, uh,” Taimi’s blush returned. “I’ve never done this… with a girl…”

              “It’s easy,” Zojja said. “Ever masturbated?”

              “Cause asking that will make me feel less embarrassed,” she shot back.

              “Not why I asked,” Zojja replied. “It’s easy because you just do what you like doing to yourself to someone else. With the added bonus of having full use of your tongue.”

              Taimi’s cheeks only turned a deeper shade of red, and Zojja laughed. “Here, let me show you.”

              She grabbed Taimi’s arm, and she flinched back, haunting thoughts returning to her for a moment. Zojja quickly retracted her grip.

              “You ok?”

              Taimi took a deep, slow breath. “Yeah,” she said. “Yeah. Sorry.”

              Zojja reached out again, and this time, Taimi didn’t react. She rolled Taimi over until she lay on her other side, facing away, then she pressed herself against Taimi’s back. The heat of her body felt so close, it felt alive, and her arousal grew just from the contact.

              Zojja started with running her hand in simple circles on Taimi’s belly, rubbing it softly. At first, Taimi just felt weird, but suddenly, the stimulation of a seemingly unimportant body part started exciting her. Maybe because she knew what was to come, maybe because it was someone else’s hand over her own, Taimi was unsure of the reason. So many sensations entirely new to her left her mind in a jumble. Zojja’s hand then moved up, the opposite of where her body urged it to go, yet soon another flurry of sensations hit her, as Zojja delicately rubbed her chest, stopping to give her nipples a soft pinch. Taimi’s breath was slow, but heavy, and her eyes fluttered. “Zojja…” she whispered. 

              She took her time with Taimi, not rushing this event. The weight of breaking Taimi free from her only current experience rested on Zojja’s shoulders. Her inactive arm laid underneath Taimi’s body, and she held her apprentice with it, teasing everywhere else with the other.

              Across the chest a bit more, up to the ears, a tug, a lean in to nibble, then Zojja’s hand reversed its course, repeating the same steps as it travelled downward, further and further. Once it reached Taimi’s belly, it began a new course, down past her hips, down to her moist folds.

              “Ah!” Taimi gasped when Zojja’s hand made contact, and her legs tightened over the intruder. Zojja stopped her movement, waiting, pressing her forehead into Taimi’s hair, exhaling warm breath down her neck. Eventually, Taimi’s legs relaxed, and Zojja moved her palm over Taimi’s entrance.

              Zojja felt the immense heat emanating from the asura she caressed. She cupped Taimi’s pussy in her palm, rubbing back and forth, encouraging more gasps out of Taimi, ones different than surprise. She played with the outer lips, spreading them apart and letting them close again, letting Taimi’s fluids coat her fingers. 

              Eyes shut tight, Taimi squirmed while pleasure coursed through her. Zojja’s touch drove her to heights she’d never felt before, and her brain dissolved to mush as her heat built up, stronger and stronger. When Zojja’s thumb met her clit, when she started rubbing the tiny nub in circular motions, sliding past it then coming back, she had to bite her lip to stop from screaming. Tensions built higher and higher, Zojja’s touch was so perfect, so practiced, so tender… she lost control. She cried out into the night, cumming onto Zojja’s hand, trembling in her embrace. A wave of ecstasy hit her hard, and her shout was followed by several loud moans. 

              Recognizing the feel of an orgasm, Zojja pulled her hand away, and Taimi rolled over to face her. “That was…” Taimi couldn’t even describe it. Instead, she said what came to her mind. “Your turn.”

              Zojja grinned, and rolled onto her back, spreading her legs for Taimi to explore. First, Taimi climbed on top of Zojja, trying to mimic some of the rubbing motions she received, touching Zojja’s chest. Zojja watched with admiration as her apprentice learned quickly. She saw when Zojja reacted with a sharp breath or fluttering eyes, and repeated the same motion. Zojja brought her hands up to Taimi’s sides, and relaxed underneath her.

              Eager to try and give Zojja the same pleasure, Taimi stopped her play with Zojja’s nipples, and scooched backwards until she rested on the bed instead of her mentor’s stomach. She looked down in between Zojja’s legs, and felt a flutter of heat again. Zojja’s folds were so pretty, so inviting, glistening with moisture.

              Taimi reached her hand down and cupped Zojja’s pussy with her palm, just like Zojja did. When she began sliding her hand around, Zojja sighed in relief, and spread her legs further. Taimi kept at it, rubbing around and between the folds, watching Zojja’s face for reactions.

              “There you go,” Zojja murmured. “Oh, yes…”

              Taimi thrilled at the sound of Zojja feeling so good. She rubbed a bit harder, hitting Zojja’s clit, and her mentor’s back arched at the contact. Then, she pushed beyond what Zojja tried on her, and slipped a finger inside.

              “Oh!” Zojja’s eyes rolled back in her head for a moment as her tunnel expanded to hungrily accept its intruder. This moment was perfect. The last miniscule ounce of doubt fled Zojja’s mind, and she gave in to the love she discovered. “More… yes…”

              Taimi wiggled her finger around inside, rubbing whatever she found. She brought her thumb to Zojja’s clit, moving it in circles.

              Zojja’s breathing grew rapid, and she shut her eyes as she neared her peak. “Taimi, I’m going to…” she failed to finish her sentence as immense pleasure surged through her, a powerful orgasm rocking every inch of her body. Her inner walls squeezed down on Taimi’s finger, and soaked it with her juices.

              When she returned from her pleasure high, Taimi slid her finger out, and laid back down next to Zojja. Zojja turned and stared into her gorgeous eyes. She brought her hand up to stroke Taimi’s luscious hair.

              “How’d I do?” Taimi asked.

              “Splendid,” Zojja told her. “Do you want more?”

              Taimi yawned. “No, I’m feeling sleepy,” she said. “But Zojja- thank you. I mean it, thank you so much.”

              Zojja pulled Taimi close, and kissed her on the lips. Wrapping her arms around her apprentice, in moments, Taimi fell asleep. She stroked her hair for a long while, letting her own drowsiness slowly creep up on her. In her last waking moments, she happened to look down at Taimi’s wrists, and noticed that Taimi’s device to call scruffy was nowhere to be found.

 


End file.
